We Outside: Bay Area Bike Life
We Outside explores the big BMX wheelie bike scene–a renegade bicycle movement that offers a critical outlet for youth and adults to push themselves physically, find role models, and build community. While mostly positive, tensions arise as kids push boundaries, clash with drivers and pedestrians, and jeopardize the legitimacy and safety of everyone involved.
Bike Life brings together youth and adults–bridging differences and uniting people from different backgrounds, races, religions–all over a bicycle. David Rangel, better known as Mainey (@d_mainey27), introduces us to the scene through the 2nd anniversary of his weekly “ride out”, called Ashland Wednesdays. We see kids as young as 7 riding alongside parents and even grandparents. Hundreds of riders take over the streets in a celebration of unity and community, converging outside, practicing tricks, riding and vibing.
But what is Bike Life? Anybody on any bike is welcome, though the scene revolves around a specific style ride: the big BMX. Professional riders and casual enthusiasts give us the highlights, along with a brief history, in a montage of voices, flipped out bikes, and awe-inspiring tricks.
Underneath the visual thrill of wheelies and freeway takeovers, we find people making meaningful connections and navigating challenging circumstances. We catch up with Mainey and his dad early one morning as they clean windows together–a family business. They reflect on Mainey’s struggles with alcohol abuse, incarceration, and depression, and how riding in the Bike Life community has been central in turning that around. Many riders in the scene have overcome similar challenges, and they become role models for kids who join their rides, kids facing their own problems.
We Outside captures the beauty of the riding and the positivity of the community, and how quickly things can go sideways. While Bike Life offers a more positive alternative to gang life for some youth, for others it’s a way to act out. Riding in groups can feel empowering, but it can also bring out a mob-like mentality. Kids feel like they own the streets and the sidewalks–swerving into oncoming traffic and even weaving through pedestrians at high speed. In a terrifying incident caught on helmet camera, we see an aggravated driver run down a rider and speed away. We also see youth riders violently attacking pedestrians who get upset at being swerved by bikes.
Veteran rider, Tim Shellshock (@bikelifenews), sees a pattern of motorists targeting bikes out of anger, frustration, or even fear. Hit and runs have become almost commonplace. As he tries to leverage his platform in the community to address violent and antagonistic behavior, we hear perspectives from youth and from victims of youth violence. We follow Tim as he tries to recruit other leaders to help him build empathy and bridges. He’s confident the legitimacy and safety of the entire community hangs in the balance.
Producer/Director - Greg Miller, LifeCycle Films
IG: @lifecycle_films
